The Day I Played with Ronaldo

To Mancini's relief, Ricardo really changed the situation on the field.

In the 56th minute, Ricciardo passed the ball in an inverted triangle after going down the left side. Ronaldo ghostly ran to the penalty spot and pushed the ball with his left foot into the goal guarded by Lupatelli.

In the 69th minute, this time it was Ricardo who took the ball from the wing and then cut inside. He made a wonderful arc with his right foot, and the football went straight to the dead corner.

Inter Milan is about to usher in the first home victory of the league, and the situation on the field has changed suddenly. Their defense line, which is not fragile, has a loophole again. This time, the left back Favalli made a mistake. A reckless tackle gave Parma a well-placed free-kick, which Morfeo headed home from Paulo Cannavaro.

Inter Milan then aggressively attacked, but Parma was united and defended the point, and Inter Milan had to swallow the bitter pill.

4 league games, 2 wins and 2 draws, the record is not bad, but the opponent is not too strong, this is by no means what a team that aspires to win the championship should have.

After the game, the media expressed their ridicule and dissatisfaction with Mancini.

"Young Riccardo deserves a stable start at Inter Milan. His performance has already moved me, but I don't know why Mancini hasn't moved yet." Gazzetta dello Sport said.

"Both Ronaldo and Ricardo are angry at Ricardo's consecutive failure to start. It is reported that Ricardo has given an ultimatum to Mancini. If he still cannot get the start, he will seek a transfer during the winter break. The next stop is very Possibly Juventus," according to Torino Sport.

Then published a more unreliable article: "Riccardo: Mancini deceived me. Ricardo said in an interview that Manic promised him the main position when he invited him to join, but It has not been fulfilled. He has only started one of Inter Milan’s 5 official games so far. Ricardo is dissatisfied with this and tries to solve the problem through dialogue with the club’s senior management.” In fact, Ricardo really did not accept it. interviewed by this newspaper.

In the second round of the UEFA Champions League group stage on the evening of September 30, Mancini finally let Ricardo start again, whether he felt the pressure of the media or was moved by Ricardo's performance. Inter Milan's away game against the Ligue 1 champion Anderlecht, this game clearly showed the gap between the two leagues.

Ricardo, who once again returned to the starting position, was very active. He scored twice in the first half and assisted Ronaldo to score in the second half.

Although Anderlecht used a corner kick to get back a point, Ronaldo's three-man solo pass in the 70th minute killed their last hope. But after this goal, Ronaldo was substituted with a calf muscle strain.

Inter Milan won both games and temporarily topped the group. Anderlecht won all of Mexico in two games. Werder Bremen defeated Valencia at home and tied with Valencia on 3 points.

The results of Ronaldo's examination are not optimistic. Not only is the calf muscle strained, but also the cruciate ligament of his knee is contused, and he will be sidelined for 6-8 weeks.

When Ricardo went to visit Ronaldo, the active football champion didn't take the injury seriously, and said with a smile: "It's up to you for the next period of time, brother, don't lose the chain, I still want this season Going for the Triple Crown!"

"It's hard to say the Triple Crown, at least the league title will not be lost." Ricardo said confidently.

Back to the league, on October 4, Inter Milan challenged Rome away.

In this game, Materazzi was unable to play due to injury. Mancini made major adjustments to the formation and starting lineup. Zemalia played right back. The double center back partner was Cordoba and Burdisso, and the left back It's Captain Zanetti.

The midfield lined up Veron, Cambiasso and Stankovic, and Recoba started for the first time, playing as a midfielder. up front,

Ronaldo has not recovered from his injury, and Ricardo and Adriano are the starters.

This is also the first time Mancini has discharged a 4312 formation. How effective it is still needs to be tested in practice.

Roma beat Inter Milan last season and finished second in the league. From the point of view of the lineup, they are a grade worse than Inter Milan, but the team led by Totti can always play passionate games, and although their defense is not big, it is stronger than Inter Milan. Rota and De Rossi's midfield can provide good support for the defense.

Today they also formed a 4312 formation, with Totti as the attacking midfielder, Cassano and Montella as the striker, De Rossi, Perotta and Mancini as the midfielders, Panucci, and Mancini as the back four. Mex, Ferrari and Kufres. Goalkeeper Pellizzoli.

At the Olympic Stadium, Roma played very actively. Mancini and Panucci on the right continued to insert assists, stormed Zanetti's side, and created several consecutive killing opportunities.

Only 2 minutes into the game, Totti's direct pass penetrated Inter Milan's defense. Mancini took the lead in the fight with Zanetti and shot from a small angle first, hitting Burdisso's goal. Legs pop up. Cassano, who had just turned 20, followed up and ejected from his instep 10 meters in front of the goal, breaking through the gate guarded by Toldo.

Zanetti is not yet familiar with the position of left-back. He was out of position just now and was seized by Mancini.

The commentator said: "This is Inter Milan's 5th league game, and they are the first to concede goals in 4 consecutive games. Mancini's team still needs to run in..."

"Romando's injury allowed the Roma team to play more vigorously, and they can focus more on offense."

Mancini sat on the coach's bench, frowning. He didn't understand why his team always conceded first. Obviously the defense line is considered world-class, but they always make mistakes.

Mancini, who was born as a striker, is not good at training-defense, and he himself understands this. It seems that the team needs to find a better defensive coach...

Ricardo couldn't figure out this problem either. Materazzi can be regarded as a defender at the peak of the intercontinental level. Cordoba was world-class at his peak, and he is also at the intercontinental level now. Burdisso is also capable and can be regarded as an intercontinental defender. Zanetti is world class.

Although this kind of defense is not as good as AC Milan, it is reasonable to say that it will not be blown up every game, right?

You must know that only a few years ago, Inter Milan was still known for its solid defense. In the 97-98 season, Inter Milan was the team that conceded the fewest goals in Serie A and won the championship. At that time, Moratti laughed and said that it was the presence of Ronaldo that made the opponents use three or four people to mark Ronaldo in every game, so Inter Milan conceded so few goals.

As a result, 7 goals have been conceded in the first 4 league games.

Where did the strongest "shield" in Serie A go a few years ago?

Ricardo, who was playing on the court, might see it more clearly. The personal defensive ability of Inter Milan's midfielders is not weak, it can even be said to be very strong, but the defense is not systematic. This is the biggest problem in Inter Milan's defense. The players are fighting on their own, there is not enough protection for each other, and the sense of defensive hierarchy is very poor.

A truly solid defense line cannot be formed by piling up a bunch of big names. Even Cannavaro could not lead this defense line to achieve good results last season.

If Inter Milan wants to achieve a breakthrough in performance, it must build its own defensive system.

Or... rely on the invincible attack line formed by himself and others, and rely on offensive football to score.